ROSEMONT, Ill. - The Saginaw Valley State University softball team competed on day two of the 2015 Lewis University Flyer Dome Invitational on Saturday (Feb. 21). The ladies posted a 7-5 victory over the host Flyers in the first game before dropping the second contest to Illinois-Springfield by a 4-3 count.
Game One | Lewis
The Cardinals were the designated home team against the tournament's hosts for the first game of the day and did most of their damage early on in the contest.
SVSU notched three runs in the bottom of the 1st inning to grab a quick 3-0 advantage. A two-RBI double by Evy Lobdell knocked-in Shelby Weeks and Abby Stoner. Nicole Romain would step to the plate next and trade places with Lobdell, drilling a double to left-center for the RBI base hit.
The Flyers scored a single unearned run in the top of the 2nd inning, but SV would respond with another trio of runs in the bottom of the frame. After Meredith Rousse drew a walk and stole second, Weeks had an RBI single to score her, making the score 4-1. Weeks advanced to second on a throw home and would later steal third as Mackenzie Rousse walked. That opened the door for Stoner, who hit a gapper to right-center to score both Weeks and Mackenzie Rousse and extend the lead out to 6-1.
Lewis pushed across another unearned run in the top of the 3rd inning, making the score 6-2 in SVSU's favor.
The teams went quiet until the top of the 6th, when the Flyers took advantage of three Cardinal errors and put up a three-spot, just one of which was an earned run. That made the score 6-5 heading into the Cardinals' at-bat.
SV took advantage of a Lewis error in its half of the 6th inning, adding an unearned run after an infield RBI single by Lobdell scored Weeks to make the cushion two runs at 7-5.
The Cards were able to hold off a comeback effort from Lewis, closing-out for the 7-5 victory.
Lobdell was 2-of-4 with three RBIs in the game, adding a run scored. Stoner was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run as well. Weeks added a pair of base-knocks as well, scoring three runs and knocking one in. Romain added the RBI double for the Cards.
Sarah Appold got the win for SVSU, improving to 1-1 on the season and working 5.1 innings. She allowed just three hits, no earned runs and struck-out four while walking just two batters.
Of the five Flyer runs scored, only one was earned as the Cardinals were able to overcome seven defensive errors.
Game Two - Illinois-Springfield
The Cards grabbed an early 1-0 lead as the home team in the bottom of the first inning. Weeks tripled to lead off the game and was driven-in by a Mackenzie Rousse single.
The Prairie Stars responded with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning to take a 2-1 lead.
SVSU knotted the game up at 2-2 in its half of the 4th inning when DeAnna Stickler-Gatson had an RBI single that scored Amanda Best, who led the frame off with a double to right field.
UIS scored single runs in the top of the 6th and 7th innings to take a 4-2 advantage heading into the bottom of the 7th.
Weeks reached first base to lead things off on a dropped third strike and was moved to second on a groundout to the pitcher. She advanced to third base on a wild pitch. A Stoner single scored Weeks, making the score 4-3.
The Cardinals weren't able to tie the game up, however, and the Prairie Stars posted the 4-3 win.
Stoner was 3-for-4 in the nightcap, adding an RBI. Mackenzie Rousse and Stickler-Gatson added RBI base hits as well.
Vrabel took the loss in the circle, allowing four runs on six hits, striking-out six batters.
Saginaw Valley (2-2) returns to action tomorrow at 9:30 am eastern time against the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The game was bumped up an hour from the original schedule.